Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Aug;310(2):1037-1048.
doi: 10.1007/s00404-024-07443-z. Epub 2024 Mar 5.

Association between fetal fraction of cell-free DNA and adverse pregnancy outcomes

Hakan Golbasi  1   2 , Burak Bayraktar  3   4 , Ceren Golbasi  5 , Ibrahim Omeroglu  6 , Duygu Adiyaman  6   7 , Kaan Okan Alkan  4 , Taha Resid Ozdemir  8 , Ozge Kaya Ozer  8 , Berk Ozyilmaz  8 , Atalay Ekin  6
Affiliations

Association between fetal fraction of cell-free DNA and adverse pregnancy outcomes

Hakan Golbasi et al. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2024 Aug.

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the association between fetal fraction (FF) levels in cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) testing and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study, conducted at a single center, involved 2063 pregnant women with normal 1st and 2nd trimester non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) results between 2016 and 2021. Pregnancy outcomes were examined by determining the < 4% and < 5th percentile (3.6%) cut-off values for low fetal fraction (LFF). Pregnancy outcomes were also examined by dividing the FF into population-based quartiles. Adverse pregnancy outcomes were pregnancy-induced hypertensive diseases (PIHD), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), spontaneous preterm birth (PTB), intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), small for gestational age (SGA), large for gestational age (LGA), low birth weight (LBW), macrosomia, and 1st and 5th minutes low APGAR scores (< 7).

Results: PIHD was significantly higher in LFF (< 4% and < 5th percentile) cases (p = 0.015 and p < 0.001, respectively). However, in population-based quartiles of FF, PIHD did not differ significantly between groups. Composite adverse maternal outcomes were significantly higher in the FF < 4% group (p = 0.042). When analyzes were adjusted for maternal age, BMI, and gestational age at NIPT, significance was maintained at < 4%, < 5th percentile LFF for PIHD, and < 4% LFF for composite adverse maternal outcomes. However, there was no significant relationship between LFF with GDM, ICP and PTB. Additionally, there was no significant association between low APGAR scores, SGA, LGA, LBW, macrosomia, and LFF concerning neonatal outcomes.

Conclusion: Our study showed that LFF in pregnant women with normal NIPT results may be a predictor of subsequent PIHD.

Keywords: Cell-free DNA; Fetal fraction; Non-invasive prenatal test; Pregnancy outcomes; Pregnancy-induced hypertensive diseases.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Lo YM, Corbetta N, Chamberlain PF, Rai V, Sargent IL, Redman CW et al (1997) Presence of fetal DNA in maternal plasma and serum. Lancet Lond Engl 350:485–487. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(97)02174-0 - DOI
    1. Practice Bulletin No. 163: Screening for fetal aneuploidy. Obstet Gynecol. 2016;127:e123–37. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000001406
    1. Alberry M, Maddocks D, Jones M, Abdel Hadi M, Abdel-Fattah S, Avent N et al (2007) Free fetal DNA in maternal plasma in anembryonic pregnancies: confirmation that the origin is the trophoblast. Prenat Diagn 27:415–418. https://doi.org/10.1002/pd.1700 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zhou Y, Zhu Z, Gao Y, Yuan Y, Guo Y, Zhou L et al (2015) Effects of maternal and fetal characteristics on cell-free fetal DNA fraction in maternal plasma. Reprod Sci Thousand Oaks Calif 22:1429–1435. https://doi.org/10.1177/1933719115584445 - DOI
    1. Grömminger S, Erkan S, Schöck U, Stangier K, Bonnet J, Schloo R et al (2015) The influence of low molecular weight heparin medication on plasma DNA in pregnant women. Prenat Diagn 35:1155–1157. https://doi.org/10.1002/pd.4668 - DOI - PubMed

Substances

LinkOut - more resources